Temperatures across the United States plunged to freezing or below Tuesday, on a par with January readings, while fierce snowstorms stranded motorists and canceled trains.

From Hawaii to the Carolinas, Americans shivered.

Jeff Masters, meteorology director at the online site Weather Underground, told The Associated Press that the low temperatures are January-like instead of what’s normal for November. Masters said temperatures were 15 to 35 degrees below average over much of the country due to the presence of arctic air.

Several feet of lake-effect snow paralyzed the Buffalo area, forcing state troopers to deliver blankets and other supplies to motorists stranded on the New York State Thruway and adding an ominous note to the wintry season that’s already snarling travel and numbing fingers from the mountains of Hawaii to the East Coast.

In a region accustomed to regular highway-choking, school-closing snowstorms, this one is being called one of the worst in recent memory. The snow blown by strong winds forced the closure of a 132-mile stretch of the Thruway, the main highway across New York state, where state police said dozens of motorists were stranded.

Troopers used all-terrain vehicles to deliver supplies, state police Capt. Ed Kennedy said. Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said about 140 motorists were stranded. Many chose to stay with their cars, while others left them, he said.

“Other than wishing they weren’t stuck in traffic, they’re warm and safe in their vehicles,” Kennedy said.

The wintry blast that included bitter cold in spots created havoc across a wide swath of the country. In New Hampshire and elsewhere, icy roads led to accidents. Lake-effect storms in Michigan produced gale-force winds and as much as 18 inches of snow and canceled several flights at the Grand Rapids airport.

Schools closed in the North Carolina mountains amid blustery winds and ice-coated roads. In Indiana, three firefighters were hurt when a semitrailer hit a fire truck on a snowy highway.

The Weather Channel reported that low temperatures were expected to spread south and east on Wednesday and that relief would not reach parts of America until the weekend.

In Buffalo, Brian Krzeminski watched the snow pile up outside the south Buffalo convenience store where he worked overnight and served free coffee to the motorists and pedestrians who came in off the city streets to get out of the blinding snow.

“There are people that came out to get a few things. We had some people who came in just to get a 30-pack of beer, which is kind of odd,” he said. “We’ve had EMTs whose ambulance got stuck. I’m constantly seeing cars get stuck.”

Deteriorating conditions forced Amtrak to suspend train service west of Albany, and between Buffalo and Niagara Falls, Toronto and Cleveland until Wednesday afternoon.

The National Weather Service warned that the snow, generated by cold air blowing over the warmer Great Lakes, could eventually total 6 feet in places.

“We have tried to get out of our house, and we are lucky to be able to shovel so we can open the door. Basically, that’s it, open the door,” said Linda Oakley of Buffalo. “We’re just thinking that in case of an emergency we can at least get out the door. We can’t go any further.”

“All around us, it’s a solid four feet of snow that is so thick and so heavy you can hardly move it with a shovel,” said Oakley, whose son Todd was with her, unable to make it to work just three miles away.

Jim Lehmann was hunkering down at home with his wife in Hamburg. His neighbor’s house was barely visible through the blowing snow.

“The main thing to do now is sit in the house and wait it out,” Lehmann said. “My neighbor works for a satellite dish company and he tried to get out this morning and he got stuck 80 feet down the street. And he was there for three hours.”

The town of West Seneca recorded 45 inches by late morning and Alden, to the east, had 48 inches. But typical of lake-effect snow, areas just a few miles away, including downtown and north Buffalo, had just a couple of inches.

At one point, nearly half of West Seneca’s plows were bogged down in heavy snow, officials told The Buffalo News. In neighboring Orchard Park, the highway superintendent called the rate of snowfall “unbelievable,” while next door in Hamburg police cars were getting stuck.

Oakley and her son, Todd, were passing the time watching “Dumb and Dumber” on Netflix.

“We can’t even walk down to the end of the street and get ourselves a pizza,” she told The Associated Press, laughing. “Maybe if you had snow shoes, I don’t know.”

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About Earth Changes Media w/ Mitch Battros

Mitch Battros is a scientific journalist who is highly respected in both the scientific and spiritual communities due to his unique ability to bridge the gap between modern science and ancient text. Founded in 1995 – Earth Changes TV was born with Battros as its creator and chief editor for his syndicated television show. In 2003, he switched to a weekly radio show as Earth Changes Media. ECM quickly found its way in becoming a top source for news and discoveries in the scientific fields of astrophysics, space weather, earth science, and ancient text. Seeing the need to venture beyond the Sun-Earth connection, in 2016 Battros advanced his studies which incorporates our galaxy Milky Way - and its seemingly rhythmic cycles directly connected to our Solar System, Sun, and Earth driven by the source of charged particles such as galactic cosmic rays, gamma rays, and solar rays. Now, "Science Of Cycles" is the vehicle which brings the latest cutting-edge discoveries confirming his published Equation.

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